A deadly earthquake struck the Philippines on the first day of the school year

At least 19 people were killed, along with extensive damage to hospitals, homes and classrooms.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck at 7:37 a.m. local time (7:37 p.m. Sunday in New York), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) off the west coast of Maasim in Sarangani province, according to the UN aid coordination office. Ocha.

Mindanao, the Philippines’ second largest and second most populous island, is home to about 26 million people. The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning across the Philippines and neighboring countries, prompting evacuations in coastal areas before the warning was lifted the following day.

Initial government report quoted by OCHA shows that 19 people were killed, 12 people were missing and at least 134 people were injured. Authorities warned that the figures were still preliminary as assessments continued.

More than 100 aftershocks

Many fatalities were reported in Sarangani Province, including deaths due to landslides, although the figures could not be verified.

More than 138 aftershocks, with strengths ranging from 1.3 to 6.7 on the Richter scale, were recorded after the quake.. Operations at General Santos International Airport were temporarily suspended before resuming on a limited basis.

Initial reports showed widespread damage to schools, hospitals, government buildings and other structures. Power outages and telecommunications outages were reported in some affected areas, while damage to roads and bridges has hampered access to some communities.

Millions of students are affected

The earthquake struck on the first day of the new school year for millions of students across Mindanao.

More than 3.2 million students were affected and classes were suspended at more than 6,200 public and private schools pending safety checks and structural assessment.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said they are very concerned about the impact on children. Initial reports indicated injuries among some students and damage to school buildings and public facilities.

“The safety of students and teachers must remain a top priority,UNICEF said, adding that it had emergency supplies and cash assistance ready to be deployed quickly.

Humanitarian partners warned that the psychological impact on children could be enormous from the main earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.

Emergency response

The Philippine government placed national disaster management teams and agencies on “red alert” status and activated coordination mechanisms among humanitarian agencies.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to respond immediately, while search, rescue and retrieval operations continued throughout the day.

The government’s disaster management, health, education and public works teams have been deployed to the affected areas. Social workers, mobile command centers and field kitchens have also been deployed to help displaced families.

The UN and its partners are mobilizing

The United Nations in the Philippines issued a statement solidarity, praised the swift action of central and regional governments and reaffirmed its readiness to support the government-led response.

United Nations World Food Program (WFP) deployed emergency staff and equipment to help build temporary storage facilities for relief supplies, while the Philippine Red Cross and other partners also began mobilizing response teams.

Humanitarian organizations are conducting rapid assessments to identify urgent needs, while an ad hoc Country Humanitarian Team meeting is scheduled for Tuesday as authorities work to determine the full scale of one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Mindanao in recent years.